1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a battery fastening apparatus adapted to fasten a battery, which supplies a portable terminal with power, to the body of the terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As generally known in the art, portable terminals include cellular phones, which are mainly used for voice communication; PDA's, which are mainly used as electronic organizers; smart phones, which are used as both telephones and electronic organizers; and PMCs (portable multimedia centers) or PMPs (portable multimedia players), which can play mobile images. Portable terminals are supplied with power by using a battery so that they can be used while being carried.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a folder-type portable terminal, from behind, according to the prior art. As shown, the portable terminal includes a body 1 and a display unit 3 connected to an end of the body 1 via a hinge unit 5. The display unit 3 is adapted to fold on and unfold from the body 1 (opening/closing operation). Depending on the type of the hinge unit 5, the display unit 3 may be adapted to rotate left/right from the front of the body 1.
The body 1 generally has a battery 7 positioned on its rear surface. The battery 7 supplies the portable terminal with power necessary for operation. A battery knob 9 is used to maintain the battery 7 mounted on the body 1 and, if necessary, remove the battery 7 from the body 1.
Particularly, the battery knob 9 fastens the battery 7 to the body 1 and, when moved along the arrow shown in FIG. 1, releases the battery 7. In the drawing, reference numeral 11 refers to an antenna.
However, the conventional portable terminal has the following problems.
The portable terminal, which is supplied with power from the battery 7, is turned on/off by a power button. When the battery 7 is suddenly removed from the body 1 during use, due to a user's carelessness or unexpected external force, the portable terminal inevitably stops operating. This means that any data, which has not been saved, is lost permanently. Such a loss of working data may be worse in the case of a portable terminal, which surpasses a telephone and an electronic organizer up to a computer level.
In addition, if power is interrupted by sudden separation of the battery 7 from the body 1 while the terminal is still turned on, the resulting electric shock may damage internal components or even erase stored data.